Jackson Lee says her bill not for white-collar felons

Houston Chronicle ^ | Dec. 7, 2007, 12:00AM | KATHRINE SCHMIDT

[cbkaty]

WASHINGTON — Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee told a House committee Thursday that her proposal to slash prison time for older, nonviolent federal inmates was not intended to benefit child pornographers or white-collar criminals.

"This is not a bill to give comfort to the Jack Abramoffs of the world," the Houston Democrat said Thursday at a hearing before a House Judiciary subcommittee. Abramoff, a former Washington lobbyist, pleaded guilty in January of 2006 to charges of conspiring to bribe members of Congress.

Jackson Lee criticized the Houston Chronicle for its "interpretation" of her bill in an article on Thursday.

The Chronicle reported that the measure, as originally written, could result in the early release of white-collar felons such as Abramoff, Houston oilman Oscar Wyatt and former Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Andrew Fastow.

"This is not an effort to focus on certain heinous crimes," Jackson Lee said. "It is an effort to address the question of recidivism, bring crime down and make our communities safer."

She said her measure would be a first step to help criminals reintegrate into society and ease mounting incarceration costs.

The bill would cut in half prison time for all inmates convicted of nonviolent offenses older than 45, had served at least half their sentence, and behaved well behind bars.

Committee Republicans and North Dakota U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley opposed the bill.

kathrine.schmidt@chron.com

[cbkaty]

She will go to her grave attempting to destroy equal protection under the law.

[wideawake]

“My bill was intended only for African-American members of the drugdealing community. Don’t get me wrong - I still want Scooter Libby to die in prison.”

[COBOL2Java]

Perhaps Pelosi can pull her aside and explain that there is such a thing as a black white-collar criminal...

[Archon of the East]

Another one of the many elected numskulls that doesn't have an intellectual clue.

[Brilliant]

“I only want to release nonviolent criminals like rapists and murderers.”

[Eroteme]

“My bill was intended only for African-American members of the drugdealing community. Don’t get me wrong - I still want Scooter Libby to die in prison.”

Pretty much sums it up.

[silverleaf]

LOL! You nailed it!

[darkwing104]

How mighty racist of her...

[Cvengr]

Perhaps Pelosi can pull her aside and explain that there is such a thing as a black white-collar criminal...

Yes, but to Jackson-Lee that would therefore qualify as a 'grey' area.

[AppyPappy]

No more calls. We have a winner.

[RGSpincich]

Jackson Lee says her bill not for white-collar felons

Emphasis on white.

[AppyPappy]

You’ve never seen what happens in urban charities. They frequently go to jail.

[trisham]

Unbelievable.

[blam]

Low IQ racist bitch.

[Old North State]

Isn’t she the one that asked NASA if the Martian rover found the flag that the the Apollo astronauts left there?

[blam]

"Isn’t she the one that asked NASA if the Martian rover found the flag that the the Apollo astronauts left there?"

Yes.

And, also the one who regulary took a one block limousine ride to her office.

[bill1952]

>"It is an effort to address the question of recidivism, bring crime down and make our communities safer."

And so you will end recidivism, lower crime and make the community safer by ... releasing convicted Felons into the community?

[from occupied ga]

was not intended to benefit child pornographers or white-collar criminals.

Let me translate it "was not intended to benefit white criminals"

[M Kehoe]

When did Ms. Jackson Lee get back from Mars?

5.56mm

[wardaddy]

Jackson Lee’s obvious flaws notwithstanding, our Federal prison system is going to get more and more full of elderly non violent prisoners doing life or very long stretches for drugs or for later in life crime.

There may be a more cost efficient and yes....humane way to deal with a sick 70 year old who’s already done a fair mount of time on a long bit.

The 1987 Sentencing Guidelines are just now starting to bear this sort of fruit and I will wager that the Bureau of Prisons would like some relief. It is cumbersome and expensive to care for old prisoners.